NFL Player News

Stidham agreed to terms with the Broncos on a two-year, $10 million contract Monday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.

The 26-year-old former No. 133 overall pick, Stidham started the final two games for the Raiders last season after Derek Carr was benched. Stidham showed well in his brief look under center, completing 45 of 70 throws for 584 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed 14 times for 84 yards. Stidham will slot in as Russell Wilson's backup in Denver.

Rypien will become an unrestricted free agent after the Broncos informed him that he will not be tendered, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Instead of potentially having to pay Rypien a $2.627 million dollar tender to make him a restricted free agent, Denver will let the quarterback hit the open market. The 26-year-old has operated as the second or third option at QB for Denver the past three seasons, and regardless of where he ends up, he'll almost certainly be in a reserve position heading into the 2023 campaign.

The Chargers re-signed Stick on Monday, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Stick, a 2019 fifth-round selection by the Chargers, is now slated to remain with the team for at least one more year following Monday's signing. The 27-year-old has operated as a backup quarterback behind Justin Herbert across the last three seasons, and he's in line to do so again in 2023. Chase Daniel, Los Angeles' other reserve signal caller, has yet to renew his expired contract.

Watson and the Browns agreed Monday to restructure his contract, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Cleveland opens up $36 million in cap space ahead of free agency by restructuring Watson's deal, giving the team more room to maneuver. The Browns may prioritize adding to Watson's current complement of receivers in free agency and April's upcoming draft, a group currently headlined by Amari Cooper, David Njoku and Donovan Peoples-Jones. In his six starts last season, Watson threw just seven touchdowns with five interceptions, while averaging a mediocre 183.7 passing yards per game.

The Buccaneers are expected to target Mayfield as a potential starting option when free agency opens March 15, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

After a subpar start to his Panthers' tenure, Mayfield was let go and joined the struggling Rams. He burst onto the scene with an epic comeback win over the Raiders on Thursday Night Football, just days after he was claimed off waivers, and finished with a 63.6 completion percentage, 850 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions across five appearances with Los Angeles. Mayfield may be able to parlay his solid play into a starting gig in 2023, but he's presumably viewed as a short-term option for teams searching for their quarterback of the future. The Buccaneers will have only one quarterback on their roster (Kyle Trask) once the new league year begins Wednesday, but they figure to add more depth in free agency and through the draft as they attempt to move forward without Tom Brady.

Fields, after a Friday trade with the Carolina Panthers, will now have a true No. 1 wide receiver in DJ Moore.

During the 2022 season, Fields' top receiving options were Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet. With three seasons of at least 1,157 receiving yards since 2019, Fields now has a star receiver who may not have reached his ceiling due to the bad offenses he was on with the Panthers. We've already seen Fields rush for 1,143 yards. Now, It's likely the Bears are ready to open up the passing attack to see if their quarterback can be an elite passer as well. Due to his uncertainly as a passer, Fields still carries risk, but it's reasonable to view him as a top-eight fantasy option, with a higher ceiling, in 2023 drafts.

The Dolphins have informed Tagovailoa that they plan to pick up his fifth-year contract option, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Adam Schefter of ESPN report.

As a result, Tagovailoa is in line to be guaranteed $23.2 million for the 2024 season. By picking up his option, the Dolphins are essentially demonstrating their confidence that the No. 5 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft can effectively helm the team's offense in 2023, and beyond. The 25-year-old is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he was hampered by concussion issues that limited him to 13 contests. Since the conclusion the regular season, however, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN relays that Tagovailoa has cleared the league's concussion protocol, putting the QB in a position to return to football activities once the Dolphins re-take the field.

The Cowboys have restructured Prescott's contract, a move that saves the franchise about $22 million against its 2023 salary cap, Nick Eatman of the team's official site reports.

The report adds that guard Zack Martin also had his deal restructured, with the contract conversions designed to get the Cowboys under the NFL salary cap ahead of free agency. Prescott is coming off a 2022 season in which he logged 2,860 passing yards to go along with 23 touchdowns and a career-high 15 interceptions in 12 games.

Purdy underwent surgery on his right elbow Friday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Per the report, the procedure entailed ulnar collateral ligament repair in the QB's throwing elbow with an internal brace, with the expectation being that Purdy can resume throwing in about three months. Beyond that, it remains to be seen when the 23-year-old signal-caller can resume practicing fully and his status for the start of the coming NFL season has yet to be determined. In Purdy's looming absence, 2021 first-rounder Trey Lance -- who is bouncing back from an ankle injury that derailed his 2022 campaign -- is in line to work with the 49ers' first-team offense once on-field activities resume.

The Saints offered Winston a restructured deal on Friday that would allow him to stick with the team for the 2023 season, Dianna Russini of ESPN reports.

If Winston were released as a post-June 1 cut the Saints would save $12.8 million against the cap, but it appears the team is open to keeping him in house as a backup to new top quarterback Derek Carr. The 29-year-old was relegated to backup duties behind Andy Dalton after beginning the 2022 season in the starting role, due in part to the fact that he suffered four fractures in his back Week 1. New Orleans would likely cut Winston if he doesn't agree to terms on a contract restructure, meaning he could still could opt to test his market as a free agent.